While many are still asleep in the wee hours of the morning, SunSeller Elizabeth Mthombeni is up and ready to hit the streets.
She is one of many SunSellers who brave the cold and rainy weather to ensure motorists get their hands on their favourite paper as they drive to their respective destinations.
The 42-year-old from KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga, sells Daily Sun in Silverton, east of Tshwane, at the corners of Simon Vermooten and Bronkhorstspruit roads.
With a stack of papers in her hands, Elizabeth crosses from one lane to another at the busy intersection and sometimes finds herself in the middle of the lanes. It is the kind of job that many would not want to do, but Elizabeth said it has changed her life and she enjoys doing it.
“Daily Sun changed my life because I didn’t have a job. I’m able to join local stokvels. I am able to buy my children clothes, food and even take them to school and I am able to live just like other people,” said Elizabeth.
She said she got a shot of being a SunSeller when her 14-year-old child was still a small baby.
“It doesn’t help to stay home. We are now able to eat and feed our families by selling Daily Sun.”
Talking about her typical morning, Elizabeth said: “I wake up at 1.30am. When we get to the office, we get the papers, share them and hit the road to our respective corners.”
Elizabeth said ever since she started selling Daily Sun, her biggest clientele were taxi drivers, who often place the paper on their dashboards.
“People who buy the paper the most are taxi drivers, even motorists buy it, but our biggest clients are taxi drivers. They read Daily Sun a lot.”
Every job has its own challenges and in Elizabeth’s case, the weather is the main challenge. But she continues to be on the streets.
Speaking about the People’s Paper’s 20th anniversary, she said: “We wish the paper luck and continuity and we will keep selling Daily Sun.”
Johannes Masango is one of the longest serving SunSellers and he has been part of the paper for more than a decade.
The 55-year-old from Daveyton in Ekurhuleni is always at street corners in Springs CBD.
With the People’s Paper celebrating its 20th anniversary this month, Johannes said he wished for the paper to continue giving people the news they enjoy for more years to come.
“Happy birthday to Daily Sun. The paper should continue to provide people with the news they want. We wish the paper well,” he said.
Having sold the paper for 15 years, Johannes would often glance at his favourite section on the back pages of the paper.
He told the SunTeam: “I read Daily Sun every day. I love soccer stories. I however don’t read politics.”
Johannes said he is able to provide for his family by selling the People’s Paper. “As I am selling the paper, it is way better than just sitting at home,” he said.
A few sections away, another Sun Seller, Sam Makgalemele, also wished Daily Sun well on its 20th anniversary.
He said being in the streets has been quite an experience for him.
Having spent 13 years in the streets, Sam said they often witnessed a lot of incidents and accidents on the roads they operate on.
He said he is also able to support his three kids by selling the paper.
On the other hand, Sam enjoys the first two pages of the People’s Paper.
“I love the front page and second page because they tell us what is happening in life and around us,” he said.
Watch the interviews with our amazing SunSellers onine at WWW.DAILYSUN.CO.ZA
